My Cuckhold System

Chapter 251: Focal Point

Jax slowly stood up, staring at the empty sky where the swarm had once been.

"...Remind me," he said slowly, "never to piss you off."

Nina smirked weakly, clearly drained. "Noted."

West let out a sigh of relief. "That was impressive."

"Thank you," she replied while trying to steady herself.

•••

•••

The deeper they went, the more aggressive the environment became.

They encountered two more waves both dangerous as well.

The third wave consisted of smaller, faster variants of the lizard creatures that moved in packs, coordinating their attacks to isolate targets. Jax nearly got overwhelmed before West stepped in, cutting through their formation and shattering their rhythm.

The fourth wave introduced armored variants that could partially submerge into the molten ground, erupting beneath them without warning.

Gor’thala countered by sensing the vibrations through the earth, calling out their positions just in time for West and Jax to intercept.

Finally after scouring the ruins for over three hours, they finally arrived at the focal point of the ruin.

The air here was denser and the ground was caved. A massive basin of molten lava, with streams of fire flowing like rivers through rough stone formations could be seen up ahead.

At the center stood a large figure... no doubt the boss of this ruin.

It looked like the lizard creatures but elevated way scarier.

Four massive wings extended from its back, glowing with internal heat. Its body was larger, broader and its scales were thicker.

The cracks across its body burned brightly with lava visibly flowing beneath its surface.

Its eyes opened and the lava on the molten ground around them rose into the air as the creature stepped forward.

The ground beneath its feet melted and reformed.

Jax exhaled slowly. "...Okay. That’s not normal."

West tightened his grip on the Guardian Sword.

"No," he said quietly.

"It’s the boss."

Molten rivers swept forward, splitting and curling outward as if drawn by invisible strings.

The ground beneath West and the others trembled as heat rose in waves so intense it blurred the edges of everything in sight.

The boss didn’t rush blindly like the earlier creatures... it advanced dreadfully and slowly with each step sinking slightly into the molten surface before the lava hardened beneath it again, supporting its weight as if the world itself bent to its will.

Its four wings spread out with a low, grinding sound, as though stone and fire were grinding against each other. When it beat them once, the resulting shockwave blasted outward in a ring of heat, forcing West to brace as the air slammed into him like a physical force.

"Stay sharp," West stated with a look of seriousness.

"Yeah," Jax muttered while raising his ice katana as frost struggled to form along the blade. "This one is different."

Nina had already retreated to a safer position, leaning against a rough rock formation. She was still exhausted from the earlier construct. She gripped her brush tightly, watching... but she knew better than to jump into this fight in her current state.

West had already told her to rest and leave it to them.

The boss suddenly moved violently, slamming one clawed hand into the ground.

A wave of molten rock swept forward like a tidal force, rushing toward them in a roaring cascade.

"Up!" West shouted.

Seraphyra reacted swiftly by coiling her massive body around West and Jax, lifting them off the ground just as the lava wave tore through the spot they’d been standing in.

Gor’thala slammed her staff down, chanting rapidly as a thick barrier of reinforced earth rose in front of Nina, shielding her from the molten surge that crashed against it and split apart.

The heat was suffocating despite their protections causing sweat to form instantly.

The boss leapt into the air with its wings snapping downward as it dove toward them with claws extended.

It’s molten eyes were locked onto West as if identifying the most dangerous one in the group despite him not being the most powerful.

West stepped forward with the Guardian Sword in his grip and leapt upward to meet the attack.

Their collision shook the basin as the blade struck its forearm, but instead of slicing cleanly, it dragged across the armored scales with resistance so heavy it felt like cutting through layered steel.

Sparks and fragments flew, but the damage was shallow.

"Too thick," West muttered while pivoting away as the creature’s other claw swept toward him.

Jax moved in at the same time, slidding beneath the creature and aiming for the inside of its leg.

Frost gathering along his blade as he drove the katana forward.

Clang~

The strike landed but again, the environment worked against him. The ice hissed violently on contact with steam bursting outward as the heat of the creature’s body weakened the frost before it could fully take hold.

"Damn it!" Jax cursed while pulling back just before the creature stomped down, cracking the ground beneath him.

"Adjust," West said. "Short bursts. Don’t let the heat kill your output."

"I’m trying!"

Gor’thala raised her staff again as she chanted.

"Verdant Pyre—manifest!"

The ground behind the boss split open and ten massive figures emerged.

The Verdant Pyre Behemoths appeared with their green flaming paws and eyes and their thick bodies.

Without hesitation, two of them bit onto the creature’s legs, attempting to pin it, while others struck from different angles with their heavy blows shaking the battlefield.

For a moment, the boss staggered before letting out a powerful roar that caused molten rivers to sweep upward, wrapping around the behemoths’ limbs and bodies, burning through their forms with powerful heat.

The Verdant Pyre Behemoths were creatures of fire as well but this level of flames was beyond what they could handle.

One by one, they were torn apart before collapsing back into ash and molten fragments as the boss broke free.

Seraphyra hissed while slithering forward with astonishing speed and wrapping her massive serpentine body around the creature’s torso.

She tughtened with immense force as she slammed it sideways into one of the rough stone walls. The impact cracked the formation, sending shards of rock raining down.

"Stay still," she growled but the creature didn’t comply.

Its wings spread again as it twisted violently, dragging Seraphyra with it as it took flight, lifting her partially off the ground despite her massive size.

Lava spread beneath them, forming pillars that shot upward, slamming into Seraphyra’s coils and forcing her to loosen her grip.

"Persistent thing," she hissed while slamming it down again before finally releasing it.

West made use of the opening Seraphyra presented, shooting forward with electricity crackling along his arm as he drove a charged strike into the creature’s side.

<[ Volt Manipulation Activated ]>

The impact was powerful but the effect was inimal.

The electricity dispersed across its armor, absorbed and diffused by the intense heat flowing beneath its scales.

"Not effective," West said immediately while adjusting.

The boss retaliated with a massive wave of lava that swept outward again but this time from all directions.

The entire basin began to flood.

"Move!" West shouted.

Gor’thala slammed her staff down, conjuring elevated platforms of hardened earth to give them footing as the lava spread. Jax leapt from one to another, barely maintaining balance as the heat intensified further.

Then the boss submerged, dropping straight into the molten flood.

For a split second, it disappeared.

"Where did it go?"

Everyone looked around warily not spotting any signs of the creature.

Suddenly, the ground beneath West bulged.

"Below!" he warned.

The creature erupted upward with its claws extended, aiming to rip straight through him.

West jumped and twisted mid-air, barely avoiding the strike as the claws tore through the space he’d occupied. He flipped, landed, and immediately dashed forward, slashing toward the creature’s exposed chest.

This time, the Guardian Sword cleaved in deeper causing a crack to form in its armor.

"Found something," West said.

"Then break it!" Jax replied, already moving to follow up.

But the creature didn’t give them the chance easily.

It took flight again with its wings beating hard as it hovered above them and lava rose beneath it like a throne.

From that position, it unleashed a barrage of molten projectiles.

Pooh! Pooh! Pooh! Pooh!

Gor’thala pushed herself harder, summoning barrier after barrier with every one cracking as the molten projectiles collided but fortunately, it held just long enough to keep them alive.

Due to the consecutive attacks, she faltered for an instant and a delayed strike slipped through.

A lance of molten rock pierced through the edge of her barrier and struck her shoulder, blasting her backward.

"Gor’thala!" West called out.

She pushed herself up while grimacing as greenish blood seeped out.

It was the first time West was seeing her injured.

The boss noticed the momentarily disarray and pressed the advantage, firing another powerful molten projectile directly at Gor’thala who was holding her shoulder.

West’s eyes darkened as he stepped forward. "Enough."

He slashed straight through the attack and spun sideways, slashing outwards again.

Fwwwhoomssshh~

A powerful arc of darkness swept towards the boss but it flew aside, evading it.

"Seraphyra—bind it."

Seraphyra body expanded again reaching over seventy feet in length as she launched upward, wrapping around the boss mid-air.